A Million Stars
by Jaberwaki
Summary: I've never known love, and I have no idea if I ever will, but... Even so, why do I hurt so much? Why does my chest yearn? Where have I fallen so hard... Like a star, I'm lost. Nalu High school AU!


I'll keep this very short and sweet, but this is a the first time I've ever written anything ever. Truth be told there's a lot to this story, but I haven't thought it out all the way yet. I suppose this is a test run, if you will! And, yes, this is in first person. I personally don't enjoy it myself, but I wanted to get on a personal level with a character, so I took it upon myself to try it out on none other than _Natsu_. So, by all means, read it! Enjoy it, hate it. Feedback would be lovely, and if anyone finds this story interesting I'll plan out a real plot and go on from there, but for now this is a bit of a cliff hanger es-cue one-shot.

 _ **This is in the POV of Natsu! The story is going to go on from his point of view!**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but Hiro Mashima does, and if I did there'd be more Nalu.

...Ahead of myself, aren't I?

I'd believe as such, for I've given myself the haunting pleasure of a distant hope. A hope so blissfully innocent in its pure, kindled nature. Heavens, I'd thought I'd known myself, you know? Time and time again I gave myself a seed of doubt. Doubt in myself, or those around me I couldn't tell. Once, I had thought, there would have been reason for my chilling thoughts. Unknown territory I would have never thought to have dipped a toe towards. Ignorant, as I would describe myself.

Ignorant, but filled to the brim of my own thoughts with a sense of dry hope.

My thoughts ran through their clockwork motions, gears turning their oiled ridges beat after beat. I hadn't the slightest idea why I hadn't gotten out of bed yet, but I figured that the warmth of my sheets, or lack there of, had kept my hidden interests of breakfast at bay. Surely, I had thought, I could feast myself to the high heavens had I sprang to my feet and led myself forward, but never the less I hadn't moved an inch since my wake. I would have gotten out of bed, but I couldn't stop myself from pretending to remain in the far worlds of which dreams and dragons collide as one. For a brief moment I let my eyes slip open to greet the waking world. My eyes lingered on the patterns of milky blotches dotting of the ceiling, and I could've sworn I saw the image of a cat plastered above. Stilled, I wondered about that.

A cat? I had always wanted one for myself, and in due time I'm sure I'll manage to get my hands on one of the several that where brought in to the nearby shelter, but my own budget permitted my prolonged stay in those shabby shelters. Every time I'd pass by windows broadcasting cages of kittens and puppies I'd stop and watch. Each cage held an animal with a similar goal much like my own; hope of some place to call home.

I screwed my eyes shut scattering my peculiar thoughts astray. There's no use in dwindling on oddities that have no real purpose other than causing a hinder to myself. Responsibility be damned, I thought. Curious, I tilted my head towards the nightstand sitting off towards my right. Without a doubt I'd woken a bit too early. My eyes scanned a digital clock sitting not far from the wooden tables edge, big red numbers reading 6:47AM. I had a good hour before I had any reason to surface from the cozy warmth of my bedding. Pity, but how could I waste my day away when I had so much to do? So much to see, so much to find, so much to sought for. However, a bitter-sweet tinge of worry coats my tongue. Etched along my thoughts came yet another pod of stress to add to the pile that only seemed to grow. Surely, I knew my own limits.

Not thinking, I pushed myself to sit up and haunch my shoulders lax of any real reason. Early morning be damned. Carefully, I peeled back a thick red blanket that had pooled to the center of my lap, but the sudden movement of propping up so quickly left my body in a bit of a daze. I shook my head from side to side earning myself a small headache in the process. Sensing no real reason to my rhyme, I climbed out of bed thinking less and less of my actions. I fumbled here and there toeing my way through the mess along my bedroom floor heading towards my closet that I'd hope I still had a clean uniform sitting tucked away some place. It took a bit of searching, fiddling, and finally a gasp as I felt my hand graze that felt like the beginning of a collared shirt.

Fifteen minutes went by without so much as a blink. My, what a nice hot shower could do.

I stood in front of a mirror that hung off the back of my closets door eyeing myself as if spectating some new specimen in a lab of rodents and chemicals. I took note of how the hair on my head had a mind of its own, and I felt obliged to try and press down a few thicker locks to rest along my temple. Unrequited fashion, I thought wearily. Rather than trying to tame the feisty salmon tufts I worked with their wild display.

A sudden vibration tickles my pocket scattering the focal of my hair towards a soft light muted in my front left pocket. For a split second I relished the idea of someone trying to contact me this early in the morning, and whom I wonder would have done so greedily? Was it important enough to contact me at... I paused and glanced over my shoulder towards my tableside clock. It read 7:23Am... It wasn't as early as I thought.

I dug into my pocket while I dropped to a sit on my bed earning a noisy creak of its springs. I double tapped the screen to wake it from its short slumber, and while I reached down to pull at the back tab of my shoe I felt a smile creep itself upwards. I could feel the warmth trickling through my chest and up towards my ears in the brief moment of happiness I felt. A text from Lucy?

From: Lucy To: Natsu

Hey, Natsu! Sorry, I know it's sort of early, but, hell, I think this is a biiiiit more important than your beauty sleep. I guess you'd call it dragon sleep though, wouldn't you? ANYWAYS! Look! Meet me by my locker this morning! If you can, can you maybe try and not be, I don't know, late?! School is important, Mr. Dragneel, and you doing nothing but sit on your ass and play hooky isn't worth the trouble. Either way, this is about LEVY! Levy, Levy, Levy! Her and Ga- You know what, no! I'll tell you when you get here in detail!

...Wow.

Truthfully, I wasn't sure how to respond. Silly Lucy, always sending texts that felt more like novels. As it where, she had always been the best at choosing how she spoke, or how better yet how she wrote. I'm a bit ashamed that I've gone so far as to sneak peaks at her latest works when she's not paying me any of her attention, and low 'n below her skill in the art of words is... To be completely honest I hadn't the slightest idea how to describe it in any other word aside from magical.

Truly, truly magical.

I shook my head freeing myself from the hazy expression I wore. I spotted the look in my eyes from the mirror sitting a few feet away from me, and I felt a sharp pang in my chest. My eyes, as Lucy would say, are a window to my very soul. Too much emotion in there hazel appearance. I heaved a sigh before glancing back down at the blaring light of my phones screen. Rather than leaving her in the wind to hang, I sent her a quick reply explaining that I'd see her in thirty or so minutes. I pressed send letting out a soft snort.

What a handful.

My fingers toyed themselves keeping company with the ragged ends of my scarf. Chilly airs circled me kissing at the cherry tip of my ears and nose as if greeting me without any real malice, but I felt it. I felt the silly breath that tickled my skin giving me that uncomfortable chill that held me in a tight embrace. It reminded me of something... Ice cream. A fresh bowl of ice cream. Oddly enough, I never was a fan.

I tugged up tanned, scale printed fabric up to hide away my lips from the freezing airs. My legs carried me as I glanced in all directions the closer I got towards a large set of steel bars where a few teenagers in matching uniforms stood in pockets of threes and fours. Every so often I found myself waving a hand at a friend, or grinning and sticking out my tongue at some of my closet buddies that roamed the campuses entrance. Rather than standing around and chit chatting, I pushed the doors that lead into the schools halls. Warm air bursts forward the moment I felt the door clicked open, and I could have sworn I felt myself touched by some holy force. I made haste inside rubbing my hands up close to my lips, chattering teeth splayed in a goofy smile. Seriously, I should invest in a coat more fit for the oncoming winter.

As I was heading past the front office towards a hallway lined from start to end in nothing bit red tinted lockers I felt a weight drop down on my right shoulder. Not a second passed before I whirled around with my arms up in a signature threatening pose, but I felt the air in my chest heave with relief. Standing at my side stood a grinning fool, one with a taste for metal, too boot. Curious, I cocked up a salmon brow tossing Gajeel a rather suspicious once over. I paused before sporting a fashionable grin and slamming my fist forward to meet his own in a gleeful bump.

"Yo," I chuckled out, eyes closing in a wrinkled smile. Gajeel gave off a strange smile that spelled in big bold letters T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Hell, what brings on that grin, I wondered? As if some unknown force had answered my inquire, Gajeel raised up his hand and brushed a finger up under the redness of his nose. Must have been outside recently.

"Nothin' much, flame brain, but, damn, you owe me twenty," he snorted, a hidden message behind his steely smirk.

I blinked at this brainless iron clad baboon bewildered by his off statement. I owed him twenty? Why, pray tell, did I need to do that? Wasting my money in a monkey, I deduced. But, just as was about to throw up an arm and shout, Gajeel tapped a finger to his temple as if irking me to take a moment and think. Think...?

Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"No! No, no way, man. I don't believe it. Bull to the shit," I gasped, but not without a wide, sparkling grin set firmly in place. Hell, he beat me to the punch. I shook my head from side to side letting soft chuckles brisk at my lips while I tugged out my wallet handing over the much acclaimed reward. When I looked back up holding out a crisp twenty I felt a bit odd. Childish, even.

My cheeks puffed out, and I stomped down my foot swiping away my hand the moment Gajeel's fingers reached to grab my money, or his now that I thought about it. I wiggled the bill in the air while blinking owlishly towards crazy eyes, and before I had my head ripped away which I was sure to come by the look in his eyes, I stuck out a pink tongue amidst my giggles, "I didn't think you had the balls to do it, Gajeel! But, I guess that's pretty cool, man. Still, can I pay you later? I forgot I gotta pay for lunch, and I get paid... Uhm, it's Tuesday, so I get paid tomorrow."

Looking hopeful, but still impish, I raised my brow watching Gajeel's expression filter through several different tabs of emotions. First, I spotted a glimpse of irritation, but it soon melted into a mixture of disappointment merging with suspicion. Sure, I never ate lunch, but he didn't each lunch with me during that period, so how could he know? Finally, I watched him let out a tense breath before giving me a rough shove to the shoulders. A dark snort filtered my way, and I felt a small tug of relief while scratching at the back of my neck.

"Better pay me tomorrow then, pinky. A bet's a bet, and you damn well believe I'll get my pay day," he spat, but the words held no true malice from what I could tell. But, as a certain friend would say, I lack the wit to understand the mood.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep talking, big guy. I'm sure Levy would love to hear you threatening me, wouldn't she," I teased, and before Gajeel could rip my head away from my shoulders I took off in a sprint heading for a different hall to meet up with a different, far more enchanting, human being.

Air struggled to pump through my lungs as I stood with my hands clamped down to my knees. I sat in a squat in front of a set of lockets that one in particular that had been left open. I knew the owner of said locker far too well, but it wasn't like her to leave it so open to the naked eye to see. Gulping, I brushed my fingers over a few loose strands of hair before tugging at my scarf to lower it from my chin. My sight roamed around myself keeping watchful eye on who or what passed by me. Thankfully, not a soul seemed to be around. It was early enough for students to come rolling in, but not quite early enough for everyone to be tagging the halls with their buddies. Speaking of buddies, the click of heeled dress shoes caught my careful ear. I felt my lips split into a knowing smile feeling a bit of warmth tug at my chest. Blinking, I shook my head. Shouldn't I be paying attention? That had to be Lucy, but what if it was someone else? Would they accuse me of digging through the now opened locker? The idea of that someone being Erza sent a small shiver down my spine.

"...-stu. Natsu? Hello? Excuse me, stupid, but did you turn your brain off," spoke an impatient voice that sounded too much like a set of beautiful bells. My attention slipped away from myself and onto a pair of creamy legs standing in front of my vision, knee high white cotton white socks and a low skirt of a deep crimson staring back at me. I yelped and jumped up on my toes, a goofy grin clouding away my driven thoughts. Before me stood, as Lucy would say, a real spectacle to behold. Not wanting cause a stir in the atmosphere, I leading my shoulder up against the lockers at my side watching Lucy pluck a book or two from her locker.

"Luce, that's so rude. How do you even turn off a brain? Do you think I'd know how to do that," I joked, but all that got me was a mild twitch of a slender blonde brow. I quickly raised up both my hands holding a defensive stance, but remaining submissive towards my closest female friends strange glare. Odd, but expected, as Lucy herself had never been as much of a morning person like himself.

She sighed through her nose, and I took note of the wrinkles in her forehead, and slight tint beneath her eyes. My gaze softened a smidgen upon realizing she must've had a hellish night. Not uncommon, but common enough to cause a bit of worry. My fingers twitched as if wanting to reach out and touch her, but I felt it wouldn't be appropriate, and right I was when I saw her force a smile my way before beaming and pumping up a fist, "Honestly! I lost twenty dollars today, Natsu! Twenty! I swear, Levy can be a real pain, you know? Gosh, I seriously hope she realizes that Gajeel is only going to be a pain in the ass, but I'm happy for them. True love, it's inevitable. But, you know, I saw it coming from miles away! I'm sure even you could see that they were made for each other the moment they laid eyes on one another."

She paused, and Lucy laughed my way a bit nervous, "E-Even though they met through the means of drama. Who would've thought that Levy McGarden would step up and date the very same guy that poured milk all over her for stepping on his shoe during lunch."

That memory earned a soft fit of laughter between the both of us. God, that was years ago, too! I remember that moment like it was yesterday, though. When Levy, a girl that I'd known since, hell, since I was in middle school, had accidentally stepped on the new kids shoes. Tall, brutish, and way out of the mousy girls league. At the time I was showing Gajeel around, but not without feeling incredibly angered by his nasty attitude. Back then I really despised him. Had zero respect, and when he dumped all his milk on Levy's head it was hell on earth. Unfortunately, that was the same day I had broken my arm for the third time.

I blinked when I noticed that Lucy had stopped her laughter, and I had stopped thinking of an older memory. Seriously, I wasn't sure if she was in a bad mood, or if I'd done something yesterday to make her so reclusive, but it was bothering me more than I'd like. Curious, I moved to fold my arms up over my chest disturbing the tie that tangled loosely over my chest. It isn't even tied correctly much less resting properly. My smile slipped into a gentle tilt, and I moved my head to bump against the locker beside me watching Lucy stare at the inside of her locker. Quietly, I reached a hand over and lightly tapped my finger up against her upper arm, "What's the matter, Luce? Somethin' eatin' at you?"

Her doe like chocolate eyes looked my way filled to the brim in worry. I found myself lost for a short breath, her sight boring holes into my own hazel eyes looking unsure as to what to say. I was the first to open my mouth, but I quickly shut it not thinking it was a wise move. Rather, I offered a cheery smile hoping she'd understand my silent comfort. For a good long moment there was nothing but a comfortable yet tense silence. I silently watched her plucked a pink notebook from her locker and slipping it shut. Again, I caught her eyes pulling that odd, dulled stare. What she was thinking, I wasn't sure, but it had her in a dream like state I could never understand.

"It's nothing, Natsu. Thank you, though. But, hey! Idea," she beamed up at me. The sudden change of mood threw me for a loop, but I quickly adapted by bumping the side of my fist up against the lockers chilly surface, and I quickly raised a brow with a childish, immature smirk, "Idea? Luce, all you think about are ideas. Lemme guess, another idea of a story?"

Her expression switched, but all I could do was laugh helplessly as her fists came up to my shoulder in several small baps. Laughter tickled my throat, but I stifled them to a brewing simmer when Lucy's finger found its way to my nose, her expression filled with empty anger, "What does that mean, jerk?! It's not my fault you're too stupid to learn to appreciate literature. Still, if you really must know, no, it's not a story, but I was thinking about after school! I'm excited for my date, and I was wondering if you could help me pick out an outfit? As much as I love my sense of fashion, I think I need a guys opinion on this one."

...Ah.

"Sure, Luce! You goin' shopping', or are you picking from your closet? Man, you've got too much shit piled up in there. Don't you think it's about time to got rid of some of that stuff," I teased her lightly.

...That sort of hurt.

"What! No way, stupid. Clothes are everything, and so are shoes and accessories, so you can screw off if you think I'll depart with the beauty that is my choice of fashion," Lucy stuck out her tongue at me as she shouted in defense of her massive hording.

...Hopeful.

"Well, that was all I needed to know! Guess I'll see you later then, Natsu. And, hey, don't fall asleep in first period again! I swear, Mirajane is going to kill you next time she finds you asleep in her class! Don't you care about your grades? Either way, see you at lunch, Natsu," she hummed a cheerful, yet slightly strained goodbye as she turned on her toes and began heading towards her first period, English.

Man, I've never felt like this before. I felt like someone took a kitchen knife, drove it through my stomach, and twisted the blade making sure I felt the grit of its dulled surface. Watching Lucy head off with a slight bounce in her step shook me to my very core. Another guy? How many dates is she going to go on before she realizes that all those bastards do is hurt her in the end? Every time she finds some guy she thinks she likes he turns around and milks her of all her affection and love only to leave her wasted away like a broken record. She in herself is one, now that I thought about it.

It sort of... upset me.

I took a deep breath and let my emotions come to a simmer rather than a broil. My shoulder shoved away from the lockers making a racket, and I purposely snag my elbow against its metal surface making even more of a fool of myself. I rolled my eyes tilting my head back against the cushion of my scarf to look upwards towards the low ceilings the school had to offer. My thoughts wandered giving me a short moment to myself, but the sounds of a bell caught my attention. Students began to filter through the halls bubbling with mindless chatter about this, that, and the other. I couldn't care less about what was going on, so instead of rudely listening in I shoved my hands deep into my pockets. I pulled myself together before moving forward having the same bouncy step in my walk much like Lucy had, but mine wasn't nearly as relaxed as hers. Rather, I was tense.


End file.
